North Carolina’s solar freeze is already heating up in court. (Canary Media)
Duke’s carbon plan called for 1.7 GW of solar bids in 2026 (which the utility later proposed as 770 MW after federal tax credit cuts). The issue? The NC Utilities Commission Chair used that shortfall to halt procurement until next year.
Why it matters: Clean energy groups have filed a motion to cancel the chair’s “capricious” order. They say a 2026 procurement gap could leave NC short on clean capacity in the early 2030s…just as data center demand rises and gas turbine supply chains stay jammed.